Chinese FM warns about trend of creating confrontation in Asia

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday said Asia faces new challenges such as a trend of creating division and confrontation through "erecting walls" and "decoupling."

Although Asia has remained a region with the greatest vitality and development potential in the world, there are two divergent trends in the region: one is to jointly pursue development and prosperity through mutual trust and cooperation, and the other is to create division and confrontation through "erecting walls" and "decoupling," he said.

In an interview with Xinhua and China Media Group on the international situation and China's diplomacy in 2021, Wang emphasized that it is important for Asian countries to remain clear-eyed, stand firm in their positions, and make the right choice that serves their fundamental and long-term interests.

"We must not allow any country outside this region to stoke bloc confrontation in the region and push Asia toward a new cold war, ... to undermine existing regional cooperation structure and the regional integration process and replace them with one of their own design, ... to provoke an arms race in the region or even proliferation of nuclear weapons and threaten security and stability in Asia," he said.

The year of 2021 has been a year of progress and harvest for China and other Asian countries, Wang said.

China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have stood together in fighting COVID-19, and have stepped up the cooperation in the digital economy, blue economy and green economy, he said.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership has been signed and will soon enter into force, and connectivity across the board has been accelerated, he said.

Wang noted that the South China Sea issue has been effectively managed under the framework of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and the freedom of navigation and overflight has been protected in accordance with law.

China has stayed in close coordination with countries in the region on hotspot issues such as Afghanistan and Myanmar, jointly safeguarding stability in this part of the world, he said.